Harry Potter and the Great Tomb of Nazarick
by Veriseple
Summary: Harry Potter's fifth year at Hogwarts begins as the Ministry of Magic denies all claims that Voldemort has returned. Now accused of being a liar Harry returns to Hogwarts to see new faces among both the Faculty and Students. Will he be able to discover Voldemort's plans, survive Umbridge, investigate the Forbidden Forest and learn about the new exchange students?
1. Chapter 1: The Hogwarts Express

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a crossover between Overlord and Harry Potter. I was looking on this site and noticed a perilous lack of everything. This story is set during the fifth HP novel and features a semi AU version of the Overlord universe in that Everything up through the eleventh LN will be included along with additional events of my own creation that may or may not be referenced during the course of this story. Anyways the main character of course is Harry with supporting roles from the other two of the Golden Trio, along with all the cast of book five. From the Nazarick side of things Aura, Mare, Shalltear, and Narberal are doing most of the representing although there will be occasional appearances from all the Floor Guardians, Ainz himself and of course the rest of the Pleiades. So sit back and enjoy I shall try and be semi regular in my updates. And of course I own neither Harry Potter or Overlord.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Harry took a breath before calmly pushing his cart that was loaded with his trunk filled with his school supplies and everything he would need for his fifth year at Hogwarts as well of course Hedwig's cage. The snowy owl perched quietly her eyes closed as she slept. This was his fourth time walking through the barrier, well fifth time if you counted the failure and disastrous events that followed in his second year. He gave his head a shake just as the front of his cart should have crashed into the brick wall and sent his possessions everywhere. Instead it slid into the brick as if there was nothing there and with another three steps he passed through the wall as well.

He kept moving forward onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters not wanting to cause a traffic jam for the rest of the Weasleys coming behind him, let alone anyone else. Ahead steam was already rising from the scarlet covered engine of the Hogwarts Express, the train that was responsible for taking the students of England's Magical School, from London, to Hogsmead, the wizarding town located on the outskirts of the magical school's grounds around a mile from the Hogwarts castle.

Now standing on the main platform he turned looking back waiting for all the others to join him. The identical twins Fred and George Weasley had already passed through and were moving up to join Harry though Fred did take a quick moment to jump on top of his trunk when one of its latches randomly opened, as he sat in place reattaching the latch of the trunk he gave Harry a wink that was pure chaos and mischief and Harry found himself honestly hoping he wouldn't have to find out just what was inside that trunk given what those two always seemed to get themselves up to. Behind those two his best friend Ron had just appeared and shortly after him came Ron's younger sister Ginny Weasley.

Getting a prickle on his neck he turned his gaze away from the family of redheads to look at the others on the platform and noticed more than a few guarded and suspicious gazes. These were coming exclusively from families that lived predominantly in the wizarding world since there wasn't a single muggle parent of a wizard or witch present that was giving him so much as a second glance. Of course, it wasn't hard to guess why after the ordeal he'd suffered at the hands of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge just days before.

And this caused him to take a deep breath, this was what he wasn't looking forward to, the questions, the looks. True he was used to questions and looks, he was The-Boy-Who-Lived after all. As a baby, he had done the impossible and not only survived an un-survivable magical curse but he had defeated the greatest dark wizard of the time. Fudge not wanting to admit to the admittedly horrifying thought that that very Dark Lord, Voldemort, was back, was doing everything in his power to shut his eyes to that possibility including doing everything to discredit anyone saying such things which was why Harry had turned from The-Boy-Who-Lived to The-Boy-Who-Lied according to the wizard newspaper The Daily Prophet.

Harry shook his head and looked around for anyone he knew that wasn't giving him a stink eye. He spotted a few familiar faces that weren't looking at him with suspicion and distrust. Neville Longbottom, his fellow fifth year Gryfindor who was standing with his Aunt. There were few and far beyond that though. Even from Gryfindors. His eyes did stop though after sliding past a strange blond haired girl reading from a magazine to stop on a family that had caught his eye. There were seven individuals there three adults and four children although that was almost inaccurate given that the oldest of the children seemed almost an adult herself in age. There were two near identical blond younger children who looked like they might have been second years standing side beside, one a girl stood awkwardly fidgeting as she watched the adults while beside her the other who could easily have been her twin brother stood relaxed with his arms raised up hands behind his head casually. The two were dressed in muggle clothes each befitting a girl and a boy respectively. There was also a strange silver haired girl who was a little taller than the two blonds but not by much that was wearing a long sleek dark dress, although it was rude to think such things he wasn't even sure if she was a third year given the distinct lack of certain feminine curves. Finally, the oldest of the children who had to be a sixth or seventh year stood silently beside the other three her hands clasped in front of her in a quiet obedient stance. Like the others she wore muggle clothing but where the first three had posture ranging from timid to relaxed to dignified the fourth child, stood with the posture of obedience, if that was even the right word for it.

As for the adults the three were strange. There were two men and one woman. Normally he would have thought it was all different parents but something told him that wasn't the case given how one of the men was talking. The man a well-tanned man wearing round glasses much like Harry's own with black hair slicked back was wearing a rather striking red pinstriped muggle suit. He was talking quietly to the children who were all listening with rapt attention. To the man's left stood an elderly man with a head and beard full of silver. While the wrinkles on the man's face and the silver of his hair might have made him seem old and fragile Harry had the strange feeling that such was not the case. He had seen old men before. Hogwarts' own Headmaster, Dumbledore, was one such individual among many and there was a difference between Dumbledore and this old man. Perhaps it was the suit that looked like it belonged on a butler but Harry felt that the man stood too straight and his eyes were too sharp for an ordinary old man.

And last but not least was the woman looking silently at the gathered wizards and witches also on the train platform. She was impossible not to notice since she radiated beauty that encompassed all of her. His eyes were drawn to her and Harry's mind couldn't help but draw a parallel to the strange race of magical beings known as Veela that he had first encountered at the previous year's Quidditch World Cup. She wore a revealing dress that attracted more than just Harry's eyes though he hadn't yet realized it given how focused he was on the family he missed how many others were also watching and in some cases outright staring at the woman. Of course she had a smile that seemed permanently affixed to her face as she watched not what were presumably her own children and instead watched all the others standing on the platform. Her ample bosom on display she wore a strapless dress of pure white that contrasted with her raven black hair that hung down to the small of her back. And her eyes, her eyes looked directly at Harry in that moment as if she knew he had been studying her. He felt a jolt go down his spine before his gaze was broken but the happy barking of a large shaggy black dog coming through the barrier behind him.

Harry's gaze turned away from the family looking at the others. It had only been a few seconds and his eyes found the dog who was in reality a wizard, specifically his godfather Sirius Black, a falsely convicted escaped prisoner from the wizard prison Azkaban where he had been sentenced for murders he had not committed. Still on the run he had spent months over the summer cooped up in his family's house and had eagerly jumped at anything that had presented him a chance to get out, such as coming with Harry to King's Cross station and Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He also realized that his other best friend, Hermione Granger, and moved beside him while he'd been watching the family. He could hear her curious words.

"I've never seen any of them before, and they look too old to be first years even those blond twins. Could they be exchange students?" Harry could only shrug as his attention was firmly pulled away from the family by the dog's antics of running around in the open space of the platform while Harry turned his gaze back to the gathered wizarding family the Weasleys. By now all of them were gathered together on the platform. Also with them were the wizards Dumbledore had assigned as his protection for the day, Alastor Moody and Nymphadora Tonks, each of them were trained Aurorors, which were people that were Dark Wizard hunters that worked for the Ministry of Magic. Both of them loyal to Dumbledore and not blind to the return of Voldemort were working to protect the object of Voldemort's hatred, namely Harry given that Voldemort might try almost anything when Harry was involved.

"No trouble?"

Moody asked as he worked with a third man Remus Lupin who had also come with helping the group get their trunks onto the train. Lupin had been Harry's teacher in his third year who had easily been one of his top favorite teachers at the wizarding school. Alas Lupin had only taught the single year when it had been revealed to the parents of the students that he was in fact, a werewolf. Of course, he'd been out of a job with a day and Harry had been sorry to see him go.

"Nothing."

Came Lupin's reply in response and Harry turned his attention away from the two men working with the luggage as they continued talking and he moved closer towards Ron and Hermione who were talking quietly glancing now and then at the strange family Harry had seen before. The four children had already disappeared, likely onto the train itself and the three adults stood there watching the train the red suited man and black haired woman speaking together quietly while the silver haired old man who stood very straight stood in silence watching not the train but everyone else. Harry couldn't help shake the feeling that the man was as much a bodyguard for the family as Moody, Tonks, and Lupin were for him. Although those piercing grey eyes of the old man's did not look old in the least when they looked onto Harry and it might have been his imagination but he could swear he saw the man's eyes narrow by the barest of amounts as if in recognition upon seeing him.

Harry's attention was one again pulled sharply away when the train whistle sounded warning everyone on the platform that the train was about to depart and he could hear Mrs. Weasley behind him calling out.

"Quick, Quick."

A quick flurry of hugs were followed as Mrs. Weasley herded all of her present children onto the train but not before she gave each a hug, or in Harry's case, two hugs. And then he was confronted by the feeling of the enormous dog that was Sirius Black rearing up on his hind legs to put his forepaws on Harry's shoulders for the briefest of moments before Mrs. Weasley shooed him onto the train. Harry, Ron, and Hermione quickly got onto the train but Harry stopped to wave back out a window as the train finally began pulling out of the station the cars all giving a shudder as they began to move. Heartfelt and sincere was continued until the platform was out of sight and he then looked at the others.

"Shall we find a compartment?"

Hermione got a guilty look at this as did Ron as they shared a look before Hermione sighed and spoke to Harry while Ron was suddenly obsessed with his nails, something he never did given how dirty they were.

"We're supposed to go to the prefect carriage."

Harry felt a small twist in his gut, that was right both of them were prefects for Gryphindor House. Harry gave a noncommittal sort of sound.

"Oh… Right. Fine."

Hermione was quick to try and soothe his feelings as she replied.

"I don't think we'll have to stay there for the whole journey."

"Yeah definitely."

Ron said quickly after Hermione and made a comment about not being the same as his older brother Percy had proven to be an insufferable git even as a prefect and since graduating from Hogwarts and going to work for the Ministry of Magic had only gotten worse. Ron and Hermione quickly headed off down the carriage heading for the prefect carriage leaving Harry alone with Ginny Weasley who gave him a look.

"Come on. If we get a move on we'll be able to save them places."

At this Harry simply nodded and followed Ginny as they made their way in their search. They had to travel the length of the train to the very last train car before they found open space. On the way they did pass a closed compartment with the two blond twins, the silver haired, and black haired children. The blond boy and Silver hair girl seemed to be mid argument while the blond girl was busy reading a textbook and the black-haired girl simply sat there silently her eyes on the other three seemingly content to watch them. He only got the quick glance and then they were past them until they finally found a compartment that already had Neville Longbottom and the pale blond haired girl who'd been standing alone on the platform before still reading her magazine although now that he was closer Harry noticed she was reading it upside down.

"Hey Neville. Hey Luna."

Ginny said as she and Harry made their way into the compartment. Neville looked up and gave Harry a quiet nod of hello which Harry responded in kind. The two weren't close friends but they'd known each other enough years in the same house to not need words for every conversation, sometimes a simple nod was enough. Luna meanwhile looked up at the two new people in the compartment her eyes peering up over the top of her magazine as she studied them with a sharp gaze. Of course, for all the intelligence in her eyes it was hard to take her serious given that she was wearing a necklace of butterbeer caps or had her wand stuck behind her ear like it was an ordinary pencil or pen and not an immensely powerful magical tool, and then of course there was the fact the magazine was upside down. Harry felt a little awkward but manage to squish the feeling by the time he'd taken a seat.

The train ride was by and large uneventful over the next several hours. Ron and Hermione joined them before too long and Harry's crush Cho Chang looked in briefly though admittedly the timing had been horrible given a combination of stink sap and the fact he'd been holding Neville's toad at the time and not the confident charming and witty man he wished he'd been instead of awkward in the situation. The friends along with Luna caught up on the changes. Who were the new prefects for example. Harry had to suppress a groan when he found out his arch-rival Draco Malfoy had made prefect for Slytherin House. Apart from that the journey was uneventful even when Draco himself made an inevitable appearance.

Finally the train arrived at the Hogsmead station and the students en masse disembarked. Harry followed the others towards the carriages that took the older students up to the castle. He was distracted as he was nearly there as he heard not the familiar voice of Rubeus Hagrid, a long time friend and teacher but instead a distinctively female voice calling out gathering the first years. Curious and more than a little shocked at Hagrid's absence from gathering the first years for their traditional boat ride across the lake to Hogwarts for their first view of the castle he saw Professor Grubbly-Plank instead gathering the first years. He was tempted to ask where Hagrid was but got pulled along by Hermione who had realized he'd been lagging behind.

His second surprise after getting off the train came as the horseless carriages came into view. Only they were no longer horseless. Instead strange eerie black winged horses that had a skeletal appearance to their bodies even though they were, probably, living creatures stood waiting to pull the carriages. Hermione had already disappeared into the crowd after retrieving Harry to keep up with her Prefect duties. Looking around no one else seemed to have noticed the strange new creatures that were hooked up to the carriages, not even Hermione when she emerged from the crowd panting in exhaustion complaining about Malfoy and his posse of followers. As Ron and Hermione got close he looked at his friends.

"What do you think those horse things are?"

Both of his friends gave him a funny look.

"What horse things?"

Harry was growing a little annoyed and frankly confused given he was at most three feet from the nearest one.

"I can see them too."

Came the reply from Luna Lovegood, the girl he'd shared the train compartment with cutting off Harry right before he was about to have a little eruption of frustration. "Wait what do you mean see them too?" Hermione asked before Harry could. Harry was just about to get in when a loud yell came from Professor Grubbly-Plank.

"MS. FIORA!"

She shouted coming into view around a carriage and stomping past Harry. Frozen out of curiosity Harry couldn't help but watch as she grabbed the arm of the golden-haired twin he'd seen twice before and started dragging him back with her. So the kid was really a first year? But Harry also realized that before Grubbly-Plank had grabbed the boy's arm the kid had been standing right next to one of the strange reptilian horse things with a curious look on his face as his eyes, and Harry realized as the boy was dragged passed him that one eye was blue while the other was green, that he could clearly see the creatures too. Then the kid was out of sight along with Professor Grubbly-Plank and Harry finally stepped up into the carriage. The boy looked distinctly unhappy about all this but didn't fight being pulled away.

"Wonder what that was about?"

Muttered Ron quietly to which Hermione just shrugged. "Guess the kid's a first year. That would explain why we've never seen him before."

Harry was silent for a moment before quietly speaking up.

"The kid could clearly see the horse things too. What's going on here?"

He muttered to himself as the others, apart from Luna, gave him confused glances as the carriage started moving heading up to the castle.

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 **Feel free to comment and critique! Preferably of the constructive criticism type when it comes to the critiques!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Sorting Hat

**Author's Notes: To anyone who didn't understand everyone from Nazarick who appeared last chapter they appear to be human. So, no elf ears for Aura and Mare, Shalltear's eyes aren't red, Demiurge's tail wasn't visible, and neither were Albedo's horns and wings. Simply wait and eventually everything will be revealed.**

 **Anon: who asked did Ainz get reincarnated as Harry? He did not though that might be worth its own fanfic. I won't explain the how and why of how Albedo, Sebas, Demiurge, Aura, Mare, Shalltear, and Nabarell are doing just yet since this entire story will be told from Harry's viewpoint though I might do some one shots that viewpoints from the various residents of Nazarick in regards to key moments in the story.**

 **Holyscythe: Ainz won't appear yet but he is still an Overlord and still all boney, the others are all still their normal races. I'll probably be posting updates at least once a week if I have my way. I'm keeping the chapters short to keep from getting bogged down.**

 **ZeroSenpai: Yes and no. I'm not changing any of the actions that they have in any of the published Light Novels but as only eleven of those have been handled I am going to have to create some events for what happened after Ainz's time in the Dwarf Kingdom so I will attempt to keep them to cannon but there will be somefew changes here and there as a result of Ainz's actions. One of which we will see with Shalltear being far more observant and thinking her actions through (usually), and Nabarell not insulting people quite so openly... don't worry its bound to still happen.  
**

 **RyuujiVantek: You have no idea...**

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Harry sat silently in the carriage. Ron and Ginny were passionately defending Hagrid as a teacher to Luna Lovegood and Hermione was tentatively supporting her fellow Gryphindors but it was clear that her friendship with Hagrid was at war with her intellectual nature recognizing that admittedly for all his love of the strange creatures that populated his class lessons Hagrid wasn't the best teacher anyone could ask for and in terms of an education stand point Professor Grubbly-Plank was a better teacher for the students. Harry normally would have been right next to the others defending Hagrid but he was preoccupied with whatever was pulling the carriages.

There was one of the reptilian winged horses to each carriage and with that simple math in his head Harry knew that there were more than a hundred of the strange beasts. He couldn't help but wonder why he could see them when in previous years like all the others he had seen nothing. Luna and that blond boy from before could clearly see them. So what was the connection? If it had only been Luna given her obvious eccentricities Harry would have just squashed his uncertainty and joined his others in conversation. But with a third independent person also clearly seeing them there had to be something all three of them had in common. But try as he might Harry couldn't come up with what they might have in common giving he knew next to nothing of either of the other two in the first place and that he had no additional knowledge of what the creatures were given that they had yet to have been covered in Hagrid's previous years of Care of Magical Creatures classes.

Still it wasn't long before the carriage came to stop in front of the castle's front door. Getting out he looked back down at the lake below and could make out the sight of the last of the lights of the boats disappearing from view. The first years would be inside soon the older students didn't have much time to get in but Harry's carriage had been one of the last to the castle and most of the other students riding in the carriages ahead of them had already disappeared inside. He could hear someone calling out to him so he turned and hurried in through the familiar main doors of Hogwarts.

A short brisk walk later he walked into the Great Hall and was greeted by the familiar sight. House banners hung from the walls while the four long tables, one for each house took up most of the huge towering room. A glance up showed the enchanted ceiling as always was revealing the night sky outside perfectly as a million stars shined down the students while beneath them candles floated in the air illuminating the entirety of the Great Hall with plenty of light let alone the torches and flames burning along the walls at strategic places in massive stone bowls. His eyes drifting down from the ceiling as he walked between the tables his eyes fell down to watch the staff table at the far end of the hall where the entirety of the school's teachers with the exception of two empty chairs were sitting. He saw plenty of familiar faces starting of course with Dumbledore himself and extending to include other professors like Flitwick the short but extremely intelligent Charms teacher that was also the head of Ravenclaw House, to Professor Sprout the stout but hardy woman that thought Herbology and headed Hufflepuff House, and of course he couldn't forget Snape, the potions teacher who headed Slytherin House. His own head of house Professor McGonagall was absent but that was hardly a surprise given she always brought the first year students into the Great Hall for the first time to be sorted. The very Sorting Hat already waiting silent and still on a stool in-between the student house tables and the staff table.

Harry was surprised however to see one unexpected and new, but unfortunately familiar face at the table. The pink cardigan wearing woman that had a striking resemblance to a toad that had been present at his trial in the Ministry of Magic. Harry hadn't forgotten her apparent loyalty for Fudge or the fact she had voted him guilty, and here she was now. His eyes narrowed as he watched her taking his seat at the Gryphindor table with Ron and Hermione where he spoke in a hushed voice.

"Its that Umbridge woman."

"Who" Asked Hermione.

"I saw her at my hearing. She works for Fudge."

Harry replied back quietly. If she was here he had a sudden chilling feeling. He very sincerely doubted Dumbledore was employing her happily after the trial unless he'd hired her before the incident with the Dementors in Little Winging. Regardless Harry was distinctly unhappy at her presence and let his eyes drift to the second empty chair.

"Hagrid isn't at his chair. Think he's not back?"

Hermoine and Ron looked and Hermoine bit her lip for a moment in uncertain thought.

"Well he's probably doing something for Dumbledore after all. Maybe this is planned? It would certainly explain why Professor Grubbly-Plank is here after all. Dumbledore wouldn't leave a class without a teacher after al." Ron gave a reluctant nod and Harry as unhappy as he was at Hagrid's absence couldn't help but nod in reluctant understanding. Whatever Hagrid's many faults were he was utterly loyal to Dumbledore and that made him ideal for some missions even if Hagrid wasn't good for other types of missions from the headmaster of the school. Given that it was all but guaranteed that it was involving Dumbledore's organization that was fighting against Voldemort, the Order of the Phoenix, who knew just what he was doing. Huffing a sigh and hoping Hagrid would get back soon Harry watched as Professor Grubbly-Plank hustled into the hall at a brisk pace now without the first years. The Care of Magical Creatures teacher had only just reached her seat at the staff table when the doors opened wide and in walked McGonagall at the head of the line of first years.

Every student in the room knew what it was like to stand in that line since it was tradition that every student of Hogwarts go through a sorting to determine what school house they would live with for the duration of seven years at Hogwarts. Harry and his friends of course had been sorted into Gryphindor just as Draco Malfoy had been sorted into Slytherin and Harry could spot the pale blond hair of said rival out of the corner of his eye as he watched his Transfiguration teacher lead in the line. The students were lead to the front of the hall and instructed to stand in front of the staff table.

As the last of the first years were entering the previous quiet that had settled over the student body suddenly became filled with hushed whispers at the sight of the four strangers he'd seen before. They were almost certainly not first years and yet they stood there. True the two blond identical twins, one a boy, one a girl, might have been first years but the silver haired girl was too tall for a first year and the solemn black haired girl looked old enough to be a seventh year. No one in all the school had seen them before unless you counted seeing them on the platform for the train or through a window in a train car. For their own part the four weren't behaving the way the rest of the first years were. True the young blond girl seemed nervous judging by the way she was fidgeting about but the other three looked completely calm, even amused though it was hard to say since reading the expressions of the blond-haired boy and the silver haired girl was a tough thing particularly for the students at the tables that were towards the back. As for the raven-haired beauty that was making more than a few sixth and seventh years burn with jealously she had a face that seemed devoid of emotion unlike her fellow new students, it was as if she didn't are about the sorting ceremony although her eyes were clearly alert as she watched not McGonagall or the hat but instead the students.

Once all the first years including the older strangers at the tail end of the line were standing in front of the staff table the hat resting on the stool began moving as it burst into song. Harry's eyebrows visibly shot up as he heard and listened to the words. In previous years, which was admittedly just his first and fourth year given the 'incidents' that had involved the starts of his second and third years he didn't have as much experience with the Sorting Hat's song as say Hermione or the others but he knew that as it moved from talking about the houses to warning of the approach of coming dangerous times that this was definitely out of the ordinary. And if he'd never heard the hat before the whispering and muttering that filled the hall even as it sang was nothing short of all the clue he needed to know something was amiss. Harry looked to Nearly Headless Nick who was floating nearby.

Nick the patron ghost of House Gryphindor caught Harry's eye and raised an ethereal finger to his lips indicating Harry should remain silent for the moment. Harry gave the tiniest of nods and let his eyes flick back to the hat and the first years. By the time the hat finished its song all the tables were talking and Harry's friends were no exception as they tried to guess just how much had been changed at Hogwarts if the hat was openly giving them advice in its song.

Still the song didn't last forever and as soon as it finished on cue Professor McGonagall moved beside it and reading from a scroll with one hand she held up the Sorting Hat above the stool with the other hand and called the first name.

"Euan Abercrombie!"

A scared looking boy nervously moved to sit on the stool as Professor McGonagall lowered the hat onto his head. After a few long seconds the hat shouted out loud enough so that everyone in the entire hall could clearly hear and know that the boy was now a member of Gryphindor House. It was worth noting that the boy was at the front of the line nearest where McGonagall had lead them in while the four strange students were at the opposite stand still watching them all silently. First year by first year each of them were slowly sorted. With some the sorting hat only took a few seconds to finish but with others the hat took some time even over a full minute with more than one student. When at last only the four students who were clearly not first years stood there Professor McGonagall did not call them all instead looking back to Professor Dumbledore who stood up at the center of the staff table.

"As some of you have noticed we have four new students that are transfer students. Each of them were students of the Nazarick Academy of Magic. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the school it is a private school that only teaches individual witches and wizards. However, all four of these students are here because their family moved to England this past year and they are continuing their education. The sorting hat will sort them and determine their class year as well."

At this the Great Hall erupted into whispers. No member of the student body had ever seen a transfer student. In fact, for most only exposure to foreign magic schools and the students of such had been the events of the Tri Wizard Tournament the previous year. So, it was unsurprising how all four tables were whispering. And then there was the fact that it was the sorting hat that would be determining their ability and level. That meant that each of the students could end up at any class level. They were silenced though as Dumbledore seated himself and McGonigal called out the first name.

"Gamma, Nabarell!"

The tall black haired girl who most had assumed was in fact an adult walked forward and obediently took a seat on the admittedly low stool that was sized for first years and not for a woman as tall as any of the teachers. But she did not complain and simply sat down on the chair. Raising the hat up higher than usual she set it on the woman's head. Then the Great Hall was shrouded in silence for almost half a minute. The students and the teachers alike had their gaze fixed on this strange event before them though others were still watching the remaining three students. As before the male blond haired boy, and Harry could notice that like the blond girl that he too had green and blue eyes though they were opposite of the girl who had the same colors but opposite. But the girl looked nervous and fidgeted with her hands in uncertainty. The boy had his arms raised his hands behind his head not out of guilt but instead boredom as if all of this was unimportant. Finally, the girl with the long silver hair stood quietly observant. Her pupils were strangely orange almost a red color that would have had a lot of muttering if everyone's attention hadn't been on Nabarell. Then at the end of half a minute the hat finally shouted.

"Hufflepuff! Sixth Year!"

The Hufflepuff house clapped in applause along with a scattered number of people from the other houses out of uncertainty at all of this as opposed to genuine intent.

"Bloodfallen, Shalltear!"

McGonnigal called out. At this the silver haired girl stood and walked to the stool where she sat. Unlike her apparent sister, and didn't that cause a quite a bit of quiet whispers given that the names were different but they were apparently all from the same family? Like before she sat on the stool and the hat was placed on her head. Unfortunately, it was not quite so quick as it took almost two minutes of tense silence which there were quiet whispers by the end of it before atlast the hat shouted out.

"Slytherin! Fifth Year!"

That sent ripples of shock even as the girl rose up and walked to the house of snakes and took a seat. She did not look old enough for a fifth year. She looked like she was a third year if anything. But if the hat decided she was ahead of her age in magical ability then it must be true.

"Fiora, Aura!"

The blond boy dropped his arms and walked forward to sit on the stool that was of the perfect height. The boy looked like he was a first, maybe a second year in stature but after the previous girl no one was so certain anymore and though they were quiet for the minute and a half it would take for the hat to shout out everyone's attention was fixed. Even Ron despite his growling stomach was watching with rapt attention when the hat shouted out.

"Gryphindor! Fifth Year!"

That was stunning to the crowd though after a brief moment the house of lions erupted into its usual noisy roar of acceptance as students applauded and cheered. In truth Harry hadn't heard that much noise for any one student entering the house since his first year when he had sat but that had been because he had been famous. This was in response to how much mystery was involved. But there was still one person left. McGonnigal called out.

"Fiore, Mare!"

Everyone's eyes shifted on cue to the blond girl who seemed frozen on the girl at which Aura, now sitting with the Gryphindor first years gave a sigh and then shouted loud enough that everyone in the hall with the exceptions of the other Nazarick transfers and Dumbledore himself got a start at the volume of the shout.

"Mare! Why are you still standing there?!"

Mare still unmoving looked to fix what had to be his twin with a look of nervousness her hands visibly fidgeting.

"But Nee-san!"

Aura vocally sighed before shouting again.

"NOW!"

The shout was even louder than before shocking everyone but Mare quickly hurried to the stool and clenched his eyes shut as a very confused McGonagall was one of the first to snap out of her surprise at the brief conversation and promptly placed the hat on the girl's head who seemed to actually be quivering. The crowd was quietly whispering b this point where before they had been silent at everything that was coming out after all this was too much to not remain silent. The hat was silent for the longest time in the living memory of the entire student body and most of teachers. Ron's grumbling stomach finally had him quietly muttering to get it over with though Hermione quieted him with an elbow. Finally, after three minutes the hat finally shouted out the final placing and year.

"Ravenclaw, Seventh Year!"

The Hall was shocked and Harry could see through wide eyes that the Staff table was just as surprised as anyone else when it came to the student body though the diminutive Professor Flitwick was violently applauding and Dumbledore quickly followed his eyes twinkling. Soon the Great Hall followed though the reaction was rather subdued as the still quivering Mare scurried over to the Ravenclaw table.

With the last of the students sorted McGonagall quickly handed the sorting hat off to Mr. Filch the crusty old caretaker of the school and took the final empty seat at the staff table just as Dumbledore stood.

"To our newcomers welcome! To our old hands – welcome back! There is a time for speechmaking but this is not it! Tuck in!"

And with that Dumbledore sat and on cue the empty golden platters on the tables became filled with food. Ron's eyes followed his stomach as he began piling his plate with chops and the rest of the students were also helping themselves. Harry was no exception but his gaze flicked down to where Aura was cautiously poking his plate of food cautiously with his fork as if mystified by the food. He could see that she shrugged to herself apparently after finally taking a bite and began eating though not with the same devotion of the other students to their hunger.

"So where do you think that Nazarick School is located?"

He could hear Dean asking Seamus down the table. Seamus could only shrug which led Harry to give Hermione a look.

"Have you heard of Nazarick?"

Hermione looked like she was trying to remember something and then she shook her head in a no which got no amount of surprise out of Ron and Harry. Hermione knew EVERYTHING if she didn't know then the school had to be something special.

"Maybe its overseas?"

Offered Neville who was sitting close enough to listen in. Hermione gave a sort of shrug and muttered a defeated.

"Maybe…"

But she didn't sound convinced. Harry knew why given she'd been reading up on all the foreign magic schools that there were in the leadup to the tournament last year and granted she'd focused most of her reading on Beaubaxton and Dumstrang but he knew she'd at least gotten a reading about all of them, maybe she had just forgotten.

"Look just check about it in the library tomorrow."

Harry said to Hermione trying to soothe the feelings of the distraught at the prospect of not knowing something she thought she had studied.

They all as if on cue looked down at the end of the table where Aura was eating and apparently ignoring the attempts at conversation by all the first and second years she was sitting near. Harry turned and looked over his shoulder at the tables and saw that the other Nazarick transfer students were much the same.

"Maybe they're just shy?"

He muttered to himself. Aura had seemed the most outgoing given what little he'd seen but he had yet to see the blond boy let alone any of the others actually talk to anyone. Time would tell.

The Gryphindor students proceeded to dig in for the remainder of the meal until at long last everyone at all the tables had eaten their fill of food. Conversation had shifted to talking about the hat's song warning the school against the threat of Voldemort's return about how it knew. Harry found his eyes drifting across the hall to the Slytherin table where Draco was holding court lording his status over the Slytherin students. A grin crept onto his face though seeing that Shalltear was surprisingly close to the first years. Clearly Draco had positioned himself close to the first years wanting to lord over them from the start but the silver haired girl was eating her food with the most perfect manners Harry had ever seen and as far as Harry could tell, completely ignoring Draco. He grinned for a moment before returning his attention to his friends.

Finally the food came to an end and the formerly loaded plates and dishes were emptied without a crumb to show they had been there at all in the first place. He could hear Ginny pointing out where Ron had some sauce on him and he was grumpily cleaning the evidence of his meal. Harry was feeling tired and his four poster bed was starting to call him as Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat quieting the chatter in the hall.

"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices. First years ought to know that the forest is out of bounds to students and a few of the older students ought to know by now too."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged smirks as Dumbledore continued on with informing the students about rules and Filch's attempts to curb the student's behaviors. He was just introducing the new professors, or rather the return of one old professor and one new one when Umbridge politely made a quiet "Hem, hem"

Looking to her Dumbledore stopped talking and let the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher rise and speak.

The words that followed got many dark looks from those that were smart enough to understand the political double talk and propaganda. Hermione and a few other Gryphindors were wearing frowns while a few others at other tables that understood were quietly translating the meaning to those around them, it was easy to tell who given how groups of students were clustering around specific individuals who were quietly speaking as Umbridge spoke. Finally, the speech came to a quiet and Harry noticed Hermione was really frowning but before he had a chance to ask her why, he'd gotten lost in the speech himself but Hermione was up and dragging Ron as other students were leaving the tables. Clearly Dumbledore had dismissed everyone when he hadn't been listening. Harry smirked as Ron grumpily was commenting on the height of the first years as Hermione half dragged half pulled him along.

Harry made his way up to the Gryphindor tower avoiding the main halls that were clogged with first years but instead taking a few secret passages to get there ahead of them. He could hear Hermione outside the Fat Lady's portrait a minute after he got there, he had been waiting in one of the arm chairs in front of the fire. He hadn't missed some of the looks his fellow housemates were giving him and had decided to just wait down for Ron before heading up to his dorm room. The first years finally came inside and he could hear Hermione explaining where the bathrooms, and the bedrooms were as well as explaining how things worked. He couldn't resist hearing the shocked gasp when the first years had passed through the respective stairwells to the dorms. Whipping his head around he saw a golden-haired head disappearing up the stairs to the girl's dorms. Ron was staring open mouthed and with good reason. It was impossible for a boy to go into the girl's dorm if they did the stairs would turn into a slide and they'd slide back down into the common room. Ron could only mutter.

"I guess Aura's a girl."

Shaking their heads more than one boy headed up to the dorm rooms. Seamus luckily looked rather distracted by Aura disappearing into the girls' dorms and Harry was able to climb into bed without a confrontation. With a sigh he closed his eyes and let sleep and a full stomach carry him off to sleep.


	3. Flashback: Dumbledore learns of Nazarick

**Author's Note: This will be a two part flashback (as of now)**

 **ZeroSenpai: No this is not the New World.**

 **117: You will just have to wait and see!**

 **Thank you to all the people that are leaving me supportive messages. I will try to keep these chapters coming every few days and never let myself go longer than a week between posts just so that I don't leave anyone with cliffhangers for too long.**

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Albus Dumbledore was taking a rare moment to sit at his desk in his office and simply do nothing but feel his age upon him. The school year had just ended and the students all had departed on the Hogwarts Express while the Dumstrang and Beaubaxton students had returned home now that the tri-wizard tournament was over as well. Poor Cedric Digory's body had been returned home with his father for the funeral and burial while Barty Crouch Jr. had been transferred to the department of St. Mungo's that cared for those that had suffered the effects of a Dementor's Kiss. There was so much to be done still, not just in the fight against Voldemort but also to prepare for the next school year. He had sent off close to a hundred owls and had more to write but just could not find the will at the moment. The weight of everything he was carrying, Cedric's death, and he did place the blame for not catching Barty soon enough and thus Voldemort's return along with Digory's death at his own feet. It was his flaws that had allowed this.

Then there was all the weight of the many many secrets he held. Not just the secrets he hid from Harry but the secrets he hid from many. He was deep down a wicked man that had scorched his soul when he was young and ever since had been trying to redeem himself. But every time it seemed he in some small way made up for the sins he held another sin took its place on the scale against his soul. He could not resist a long sigh when he heard a knock on his office door. Retrieving his glaces from where they lay on his desk he raised them up and put them on before clearing his throat.

"Come in."

In through the door walked McGonigal. His Deputy Headmistress had been almost as busy of late as he and he knew she had her own weight over what happened and as much as he wished she would let it go and just blame him as she should for her mental well being he knew her better than to try her loyalty to him was matched only by the welfare and well being of her students. One of those was already upset if he destabilized the other he did not know how she would affect. And yes he did not know, there were many things in the world he did not know a fact he had to remind himself every day lest his arrogance and his ego, and he was honest enough with himself to admit he did indeed have one, got the better of him.

"What is it Minerva? Has Voldemort done something? It is far too soon not when Fudge seems so intent on sticking his head in the sand I would not think him so foolish as to waste the opportunity of not having the Ministry against him by provoking it. Or is this in regards to the Order?"

He asked her as his eyes watched her and seeing the way she stood and the look of uncertainty that he thought was hiding deep in her eyes he knew that something unexpected and that made him frown since it was likely this had nothing to do at all with Voldemort, the Ministry, or the Order, if she had that look in her eyes.

"There are some folks waiting down in the Great Hall who would like to have a conversation with you. They say they are from the Nazarick Academy of Magic and would like to transfer some of their students here."

That was indeed a surprise, mostly because Dumbledore in all his years had never heard of the Nazarick Academy of Magic, Dumbledore knew every magical school the world over and he knew how Hogwarts ranked against such schools. And that was another headache given how Hogwarts had been slipping over the years. Trewalney, Binns, and Hagrid, were all enthusiastic about their chosen fields but they made poor teachers. Unfortunately there was a shortage of individuals who placed interest in the fields of Magical Creatures, Magical History, and Divination, he had to make do with what he could as while there were those that were knowledgeable, few if any were willing to teach children or had characters such that he trusted them in the position of teaching children. And the less that was said about the Defense Against the Dark Arts post at the school the better.

More than a little curious he rose from his desk. Taking a deep breath he calmed his mind and banished his many thoughts of regret, those he would deal with another time. Now it was important to see to the strangers in his school. He checked himself in the mirror making sure he was presentable, or was at least presentable for him. As a famous and powerful wizard there were expectations on how he would act and behave and he had learned long ago that while there were many opinions on the correct way to act and dress all depending on the goals of those that held such opinions, but the one constant was that he would not be ordinary in appearance. This was the reason why he dressed in such bombastic manner, it was part of manipulating and deceiving those he was forced by his course to guide. If he hadn't conformed to their opinions of him his actions and agendas would be harder to carry out. And as bad as it was deceiving and manipulating others at least this way they were alive. He could not guarantee they would remain alive for long but he insisted on doing what he could to give them what time he could in the face of Voldemort's plans. And if that meant burdening his own soul with sin to preserve the lives and souls of others instead. The cost of one old man against the world in the end wasn't such a bad trade in the end.

But dressed as he was in the summer sky blue robes with a silver filigree design along the borders and edges he was prepared to keep the strangers off balance. He quickly made his way through the halls after leaving his office heading down to the great hall. Inside were three individuals two men and one woman. They were standing in the hall heads and eyes turned to the interior studying the hall's decor but as one they turned looking him square on as he entered. The three figures were not what he was expecting, and in truth he couldn't define what he had been expecting but here they were. The most eye catching of the three was of course the woman who was incredibly beautiful. Dumbledore was not drawn to that specific beauty but while he may have not been infatuated that did not mean he was ignorant in the beauty of women. And this woman was truly beautiful of that there was no doubt. She had raven black hair that came down her back and she wore a black dress. It almost looked like there were wings around her waist but upon closer examination they were very clearly clever detail work stitched into the silk of the dress designed to recreate the appearance of feathered wings although Dumbledore could not help but wonder why they were around her waist. Tasteful but truly elegant silver jewelry had been chosen with a certainty to compliment against the black of the dress and draw the eye without ever being gaudy or overbearing or holding the eye for too long a time.

Her companions did not have the same beauty though in their own ways each was worthy of equal notice. To her right was a tanned man with slicked back, black hair who was wearing an impressive red pinstriped muggle suit. His hands were clasped behind his back and he had glasses on his face that reminded him of Harry's. The eyes behind those glasses though were nothing like Harry's. Those eyes had a sheer naked intelligence in them such that it sent a chill down Dumbledore's spine. Dumbledore had grown very very good at first impressions in his many many years and he now was firmly convinced that this man might well be smarter than him despite the fact that those eyes were the only indication he had.

Dumbledore's gaze slid to the woman's other side to the second man and final member of this strange group. Like the others this man was strange in his own way. He appeared far older than the others but there was a rigid straightness to the man's posture that produced the impossible idea that the man was not old at all. But there was no denying the silver head full of hair or the man's beard. As a man with an impressive silver beard of his own Dumbledore knew how to spot a real one, not by the color but by the care with which it was maintained. Just like the other two the man's outfit was immaculate though it was the most subdued as it was simply an elegant black suit that though it hid his body well could not hide the broad frame that few men of his age could possess even with a lifetime of dedication in its pursuit and maintenance.

Stopping infront of the three adults looking back at them he quickly appraised each as his eyes took in the appearances of each. The subtle stances and body language of each was hard to read but there were a few hints that could be gleaned. Clearly all three were on or at near levels of responsibility or status, there was some indication that the woman in the center might have been their leader but it was hard to read and Dumbledore wasn't sure he was imagining that one given how little true information he had to go on. If this truly was a magical academy though the roles of each became easier to predict. The red suited man was undoubtedly a teacher, the woman had a bearing that reminded him of Minerva when she was around him. Was it possible the woman's role was similar serving the headmaster as a second in command? He doubted that either of the two men were the headmaster which meant he was not present in the most likely of scenarios, as for the third and final man there was something slightly unsettling about the unmoving perfect posture, oh yes, that was it. The man was a warrior, that explained the posture, which meant he was likely here as guardian to the first two or some such role.

The space of not even a quarter second passed in Dumbledore's admittedly frighteningly smart mind as he studied each but in the real world it was time to continue.

"Greetings. I am as you might know the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore. And your names are?"

As if on cue all three bow slightly in greeting before introducing themselves starting with the woman, then the teacher, and finally the silver haired old man.

"Greetings Professor Dumbledore. You may call me Albedo."

The woman says this as she curtsies slightly to him observing manners and etiquette but Dumbledore can't shake the feeling that the seemingly genuine, if permanent, smile on her face is not as real as it seems.

"My name is Demiurge, it is a pleasure to finally meet you." Says the man his right hand raising to cover his heart as he bends slightly at the waist bowing in polite respect in greeting.

"My name is Sebas Tian."

The old man's voice is the deepest and there certainly is an undeniable age to his words but something about it still refuses to settle for some reason that Dumbledore cannot dismiss and this puts him on edge though he hides it with practiced ease. Composing himself his eyes flick to each once more before focusing on the woman in the center who's smile widens ever so slightly while at the same time the man in the red suit smiles slightly as if Dumbledore had passed some unspoken test. Before they explain it though he continues, while he wished he knew more of their thoughts there were other things he needed to know more, such as of Nazarick itself a procclaimed magical academy he had never heard of before ranked as a larger issue than the mystery behind three individuals.

"So I must confess that I am unfamiliar with your Nazarick Academy. If I may what country is it located in?"

He was uneasy in the way the red suited man seemed to find amusement in the question as the woman smiled slightly more, but no more sincerely he could tell as he was no convinced the smile was a mask and quite fake.

"It is currently located in England though it has been known to move on occasion."

This caught Dumbledore's interest, a school that moved. It could certainly explain how it was unknown. A school such as that would be far better at maintaining its secrecy and could explain why he had never heard of it. Though it still left the question of knowing what it was located in. A ship perhaps?

"Hmm well I am not opposed to the idea of accepting exchange students but I would need to know more of your school and your students. If nothing else so that I can ensure that they would have a smooth transition and that their presence would not affect the academic futures of our own students."

At this the woman nodded in understanding.

"Of course. In fact our... headmaster has requested that we bring you to Nazarick and introduce you to our school and students both. His time is precious so he will be unable to meet with you today but asks that we accompany you in his stead."

Now this was a surprise. Visiting the school itself. Dumbledore had not expected this magic schools in general tended to guard their secrets jelously from one another, with the exception of events such as the Tri-Wizard Tournament few students ever saw another magic school. Which was why Dumbledore had been so earnest in his support that it would broaden his student's views of the world and keep them from perceiving a narrow prejudiced viewpoint of foreign witches and wizards.

"That is certainly possible though I do not believe I can travel across the country right this second, would it be possible to arrange a visit at a later date when I can clear my schedule enough that I can leave Hogwarts."

He had expected to see anger or acceptance, what he got instead was clear amusement on the faces of the woman and the man in red, it was worth noting that while the silver haired old man's grey eyes had watched Dumbledore ceaselessly he did not seem to share his companion's mirth.

"In that case there should be no issues. I do believe we are technically on your grounds right now given that your forest that you have so charmingly named Forbidden is Nazarick's home at present.'

Dumbledore's reaction was visibly apparent for the first time to the eyes of all three where up until now his face had been pleasant and engaging but carefully guarded to not give away what he might be thinking to their words. The claim though that their school was located in the forbidden forest though was impossible to believe. There were powerful spells that dated back to the Hogwarts Four and were as old as the castle itself. It was simply impossible that what they were claiming was true and yet his instincts told him they were not lying. So what was the truth here? Were they insane? Had the castle's defenses deteriorated? Or was this something else. Carefully composing his facial expression once more he addressed the three.

"You will have to forgive me for finding that a difficult claim to behave for reasons I am sure that you understand without proof I simply cannot take you at your word."

At this the man in red finally spoke.

"Of course. It would hardly be fair for us to make such claims without backing them up. As we said our headmaster has requested that you join us. Unfortunately we will have to walk as both your school and ours's defenses stop other more efficient forms of travel from occurring inside their boundaries."

Clearly they were familiar with at least some small part of Hogwart's magic. Giving a nod he stepped to the side and gestured with a hand for them to proceed. And with that the four of them set off on foot from the castle heading for the Forbidden Forest. They reached the edge quickly enough but it was more than an hour of walking in silence that would follow as they headed into the heart of the forest. While Dumbledore had ventured into the forest before to walk or to speak with the centaur tribe he had never descended this deeply into the forest. The trio said nothing just letting him follow them as they led the way clearly each was utterly unconcerned with the prospect of a threat in the forest. And Dumbledore could not help but admit the forest seemed quieter than it should have been.

Finally though they came to the oddest sight in the forest he had ever seen. Near what had to be the heart of the forest more than two miles from its exterior and far beyond the range of any ordinary student, was a graveyard. The graveyard was of rather large size and without hesitation the trio led the way from the gnarled overgrown and twisting forest to the immaculate graveyard. It was spooky how even the help was considering leaving him. In truth it showed how far gone he was if he couldn't even believe the sight before his eyes, but it was real to the eyes, and to the touch as well he found when letting a hand brush a tombstone. he followed them into the exterior of the central mausoleum and was walking towards the heart before his course was forced to a stop. And what he saw inside could only make his mouth drop as what he saw made him realize exactly why he had never heard of Nazarick before.


	4. Flashback: Dumbledore's First Visit

**Author's Note: This is part two of two of the current flashback. The next chapter will return to Harry's PoV and the year at Hogwarts. I am not sure how often I will be doing these flashbacks but they will periodically happen. These are certain to involve Nazarick though I cannot say for certain who will be the PoV yet.**

 **RyuujiVantek: Sorry but its not yet time for him to appear. As Albedo said in the previous chapter Ainz was preoccupied. I'm not sure when he will make his appearance as this story has changed in my mind since I first started writing it but he will appear before the end of the fifth year of that I am decided.**

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Dumbledore was confronted by a sight that caused his body to freeze even as his mind warred with his instincts of whether or not to draw his wand from the pocket of his robes as he was confronted by the sight, and the realization of why this school moved around and why he had never heard of the Nazarick Academy of Magic before. He was standing just inside the entry of the mausoleum at the center of the strange graveyard he had been led to at the heart of the Forbidden Forest. The mausoleum was much of one might expect from a tomb despite its size as stone sarcophagi lined the sides and between them was a clear open walkway that lead to what looked like a stairwell descending down into the earth at the far end. Of course Dumbledore wasn't able to get a good look at the stairs because of the enormous being that had a bluish white body and seemed to be an enormous insect standing in the way. The thing held weapons in its hands and its mandibles seemed to click as it was clearly watching him while a breath of vapor escaped its mouth as if the air over there was cold as strange as that seemed.

The creature was not alone either as it was flanked on either side by a variety of creatures that varied in appearance from one another with the only consistency between them was that they could be termed as Monsters each and ever one. A glance to each side of him where the three representatives of the school who had led him here showed that none of them seemed shocked or surprised. In fact none of them were watching the monsters at the far end but were instead watching him intently. They had known those creatures would be here. Dumbledore could not resist a weak smile as he stood in the jaws of this trap.

"The reason the wizarding world has not heard of your academy is because it is not a school of magic for humans is it?"

The ever beautiful Albedo smiled at him and nodded.

"You are a very clever human. Yes we are a school for magical creatures and humans alike."

This caused Dumbledore to raise an eyebrow in surprise. Human wizards and witches learning alongside magical creatures. Dumbledore was a champion of the rights of magical creatures in Britain but even he had never dreamed of such a thing, British purebloods had an intolerance and xenophobia of halfbloods and muggleborn wizards as well as of course Muggles themselves, to add to it magical creatures Dumbledore had never before considered when the outcome politically was moot given that the reactionaries of the pureblood houses in the Wizengamot were still firmly entrenched. He had done what he could for the rights of magical creatures and had been fair in his dealings but this was something else.

This school clearly was with the intent of bringing together all races of magical creatures, something that clearly made the wizard happy and uneasy all at once when one considered the intolerance with which wizards had denied them magical power. If an outside power upset the balance Dumbledore was not sure of what to say. Then again it was not intolerance that was needed, just to accept the magical creatures of the world. Most could be lived with in peace as long as certain conditions and requirements for their well being were met. Vampires for example as just one type required blood to drink they hardly needed to feed from others as muggle blood banks were an option. Werewolves were trapped by their curse but a simple potion kept them safe. There were many others that could be coexisted with as well with ease and though the muggle world was not ready for most that did not they couldn't live side by side with wizards who were already aware of their existence. But pure blood extremists had been keeping them down fighting wars, and fueling resentment for centuries if not millennia. And here before his eyes was the worst possible situation come to pass, a variety of magical beings aligned together. And in all likelihood teaching each other magic. Wizardkind could not hold against this, not forever, the best course was to create an olive branch and forge a path forward together. If they were further ostracized they would simply turn to Voldemort or another dark wizard like him who would give them what they wanted, no needed.

His gaze slid forward taking in the view of the mausoleum and its occupants. Of course the towering bluish white insect was the most eye catching but it was hardly the only magical creature as there were six other magical and dark creatures at the far end forming a line. One was an elderly gaunt slender man with red eyes who stood to the right of the enormous insectoid being, he was dressed in battle armor that hadn't been seen in hundreds of years looking the image of a knight. To the vampire's side stood a smaller figure. It was a girl judging by her outfit, one that had silver hair although she held a parasol umbrella that kept her face hidden in shadows. Given the child's figure seemed to contrast with her improbable chest he would have been one to scoff if there wasn't this instinct to not take the child lightly. On the child's other side was another vampire that was female dressed quite scantily standing quietly. Was this a family of vampires? Husband, wife, child? He did not know for certain but it might make sense, and if it was the case than it gave him hope that perhaps the magical beings and dark creatures that had been gathered together in this strange and mysterious school were not ready to go to war against wizardkind just yet.

On the other side of the enormous insect were different creatures, notably there were three strange and unnerving beings, one was a voluptuous woman with the head of a bird, another was a man that seemed to have the features of a lizard or perhaps even a dragon while the third and final seemed to be a demon though such things should not have existed and been the realm of only superstition. Traditionally demons as spoken of by muggles were the results of magic gone awry but this being was something else as it lacked the traditional signs of a magical spell or potion gone awry, the body was too uniform in its nature and lacked the usual characteristics that Dumbledore had read of in books given he'd never seen a being like that before.

Beside him Albedo walked forward a few steps and in response the enormous insect walked forward. Dumbledore could not help but notice the air growing colder as the being approached across the large mausoleum. The being only stopped in front of Albedo who was looking up at the insect. Given she was turned away Dumbledore could not see her face but he was convinced that smile of hers was quite genuine for now in amusement at his shock.

"Greetings Cocytus. Has there been any security issues since we left?"

The enormous insect rumbled for a second before speaking with a deep powerful voice.

"Negative. The. Centaurs. Have. Not. Reported. Any. Intruders. And. Aura's. Beasts. Have. Reported. The. Same. Nazarick. Remains. Protected. And. Hidden."

Dumbledore could not help but be a little shocked at the creature's manner of speaking, the more shocking thing was that the being known as Cocytus was capable of speech, he had not expected that. And given that name and its implication in muggle mythology it might explain the cold he was feeling. Hearing the mention of the centaurs though caught him off guard and a little more uneasy. He had been thinking to ask the centaur tribe that resided in the forest to keep an eye on this place but it seemed the centaurs had already picked a side though he could hardly blame them for picking the side that firmly stood for the rights of magical creatures. It was unfortunate but a perfectly understandable decision and he did not fault him for such though it left him in a sore spot when it came to finding out more information.

Albedo nodded and turned and looked over her shoulder back at Dumbledore who was still standing between Demiurge and Sebas before taking a step to the side so that nothing stood between Dumbledore and Cocytus himself.

"Cocytus, this is Albus Dumbledore. He's the headmaster of the nearby wizard school in the castle."

Albedo's words weren't even finished as there was a low rumble noise coming from Cocytus who towered over Dumbledore.

"So. You. Are. The. One. Who. Our. Master. Has. Been. Watching. Perhaps. You. Are. Worthy. Of. Consideration. I. Sense. Much. Magic. From. You. You. Must. Be. A. Competent. Wizard. For. You. Have. Strength. To. Rival. My. Underlings. By. Yourself."

Dumbledore felt a chill go through his body as he listened to those words. This Cocytus had a leader. Truly the magical creatures were unifying. Wizardkind was running out of time. Depending on the charisma of this leader whoever or whatever it might be could be a greater threat to the world than even Voldemort. Wizardkind could barely survive Voldemort. They could not afford a two front war. Which meant that Dumbledore had to keep these beings, nay this entire school, on his side. His gaze remained fixed on Cocytus his head tilted upwards to look at the enormous creature's head.

"I am honored to be worthy of consideration."

He had to tread carefully here. This creature had just said he was on par with the being's underlings. And while it was possible that such underlings were stronger than him Dumbledore found it highly unlikely that the person in charge of the defense of this place would be weaker than those that served him. The only way that might be possible was if he was a tactician and strategist. And while that was possible given how strong Cocytus simply appeared to be he doubted it. Dumbledore's mind remained a whirl of thought as he processed everything he was witnessing. And his earlier realization crystallized into a hardened concrete thought. He needed to form an alliance with this school for the sake of the world. He could only curse Fudge's timing in his smear campaign. Fudge was likely to move he be stripped of most of his titles, exactly when he would need them the most to act as a go between between the wizarding community and Nazarick and the magical races it collectively represented. While most pureblood families, even some aligned with the Light would balk at the idea of integrating magical creatures if he had his titles and positions he could at least silence some of the dissent simply by being who he was. But Fudge's actions though they hadn't taken place just yet would stop that. He needed a secure base to handle the protest that would inevitably ensue. And as he had already realized he could not fight both Voldemort and Nazarick at the same time. The same could be said in reverse. Nazarick formed the double bladed sword that no matter if he supported or fought them he would face conflict, and he could not afford that amidst the war with Voldemort. He needed to make these words clear now that much was clearly in his mind.

"But I must tell you that your timing could have been better. Voldemort has returned but the Ministry of Magic is in denial. The Minister of Magic is preparing a smear campaign against me. I will not be able to fight for you politically."

He was restraining a sigh before he was suddenly interrupted by Demiurge who was standing beside him.

"We know. These actions are well within our Headmaster's predictions. It is no matter, He will deal with your Ministry when the time comes but for now he is content to simply focus our efforts here with you."

That caused Dumbledore's head to snap to the side staring at Demiurge, the black haired man was visibly smiling and no one else present seemed particularly surprised, in fact there was no surprise at all. Was it possible they had predicted he would choose to work with them to avoid a war that the world, magical and muggle, alike could not afford? Voldemort was a powerful entity that few could match by himself but the true strength he wielded had always come from the followers that had supported him. Magical creatures were such beings given their dislike for the current status quo. Had Voldemort already contacted them in his power bid. He had to ask.

"Has Voldemort already contacted you?"

This produced a curious laughing sound from the insect and both Demiurge and Albedo were restraining the urge to smile. Demiurge luckily spoke helping to clear some of the mystery behind that laugh.

"He does not know of our existence yet. He has met with some of our representatives not realizing our own plans for him."

Dumbledore could not fully suppress the flash of fear that coursed through his body in that moment.

"And just what exactly are your plans for him?"

Demiurge and Albedo both seemed to glance to each other then at Sebas who gave a silent shake of his head before Demiurge finally spoke.

"In truth we are not yet decided. Our Headmaster has not yet formed his position. Let us simply say that he will pick the side that will support our plans the best."

Dumbledore visibly paled but nodded. It was hardly a surprise in the end.

"Clearly you are still considering fighting against him given you have contacted me. How can I be of assistance?"

Demiurge and Albedo shared a smile.

"Several ways. The first is that you will admit several of our students to your school. We have already selected which. They have been chosen for both their magical abilities and for their humanoid nature. Three of them will be under the effects of glamours to hide parts of their natures that are more apparent but they will blend in better than most of our other students. That will come for future years once your school is ready for the shock that will follow."

Dumbledore couldn't resist sighing in relief at the idea of the students who would be the first to cross over into Hogwarts would be human in appearance.

"Each will be sorted into your houses by your sorting hat. Further more since they are not the same skill and age as your first years the hat will determine their class levels as well. One of them will be placed in each house and all will serve the dual purpose of remaining alert for moves by Voldemort or his supporters. Our predictions indicate it is unlikely he will make a direct move against your school just yet. Instead his efforts are likely to be focused on discrediting you and building his supporters while he searches for the prophecy regarding him and one Harry Potter. In addition we will station several individuals throughout the grounds of your school in the event that an attack is made your school will be defended long enough for Cocytus to lead out our forces to defend it."

This was a surprise. They still had not decided who they would side with and they would act this much against Voldemort? Then again if Voldemort did act and he saw the power they wielded it was likely he would want Nazarick all the more. Still this was a better deal than he could have hoped for. Clearly Nazarick's Headmaster whoever or whatever that person was, was aware of his own position. He knew the bargaining power he had but he was being surprisingly generous offering more. Dumbledore had decided to accept whatever terms they required to avoid a second war. But it seemed this being was sincere in its intent? Regardless the course ahead was clear.

"I accept. Of course there are some details that will need to be cleared as we approach them but your students will transfer to Hogwarts for the coming year."

Albedo moved back in front of him stepping in between him and Cocytus. "Excellent. We will provide you with the necessary information soon so you have time to make what preparations you need on your own end. We shall be in contact soon. Sebas will be your escort out of the forest."

Dumbledore turned looking to the old man who gestured with an arm for Dumbledore to proceed back out the doorway of the Mausoleum before stepping off and moving ahead of him to act as guide and escort. Dumbledore exited the mausoleum with a final glance back at the magical beings and dark creatures within before following the old man back through the forest. His mind was a whirl of thoughts as he ran through all the preparations he would need to make as well as the fact that he would need to give orders to the Order to keep watch in the Department of Mysteries to protect the prophecy. He would have a busy year ahead clearly.


	5. Chapter 3: Breakfast

**Author's Note: I'm done with the flashback and back to the story events of book 5. I probably won't do another flashback for a bit so it'll be just Harry for a while though obviously I'm trying to throw in some Overlord style humor at times.**

 **darpa-air-force: I don't think that's quite how the first meet between Ainz and Dumbledore will go but it is funny to imagine that way.**

 **PrometheusTheXelNaga: The gaunt man was a high level vampire. I haven't decided how much face time its going to be but we have yet to see any of Shalltear's high level minions. This was my way of including one since he's supposed to be a Dracula type NPC (also a True Vampire like Shalltear) and may fill the role of her second in command for running the first three floors in her absence. Its hard to say if I'll make him reappear again. As for the other three, yes they were Demiurge's Evil Lords. And good guess that Aura was the one who got the centaurs, she was indeed.**

 **Emperor Palps: Thanks!**

 **RyuujiVantek: Yeah I know right?! But yeah Dumbledore is a sharp cookie, and however manipulative he might be and shady in his actions he is one smart guy through and through and that doesn't change just because he may be making mistakes from time to time or isn't always doing a 'good' thing.**

 **Good concept: Thank you! I'll try to keep these coming regularly. Like I've said previously I'm going to try and keep at least one coming a week. Right now I'm maintaining a fast pace of a new chapter every two to three days. I don't know if I'll be able to keep that up forever. Sooner or later if nothing else work will interfere when I have to travel but I will still try to get a chapter out at least once a week and if I know I'm going to be delayed in my next I'll include it in the author's note at the beginning of the chapter warning you guys for the next chapter release time.**

 **Reaper7: Yeah I decided since the world is the Harry Potter universe as opposed to the New World or Suzuki's native Earth that I'd try and predominantly tell the story from Harry's perspective since its his world being influenced by Nazarick's presence and not the other way around.**

 **Gaelas: Thank you for the compliment! I try to keep my writing around this medium. Too much detail and I get bogged down in my writing. Too little and it just isn't descriptive enough. Also I'm close to the style of Harry Potter and JKR's writing because honestly there's been a few points up until now where I've sat at my computer with book five in my hand reading it through page by page and writing the events in my own words using the same dialogue where its needed.**

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Harry awoke before the others in his dorm. He knew it was early since the sun wasn't yet shining through the windows. Rather than go back to sleep for another hour Harry decided to get up so he could shower and get ready alone. He'd gotten lucky given Seamus hadn't provoked a fight, judging by looks it had been a near thing. Rather than provoke what should have happened the night before Harry started his morning early going and getting a shower before getting dressed all before the sun was fully risen beyond the horizon in the east.

He headed down to the common room but found it still empty. There was a half an hour before breakfast would start being served in the Great Hall so he took a seat in a chair in front of the fire and spent the next fifteen minutes casting charms at the fireplace manipulating the flames with his charms into patterns and designs to pass the time. He would have spent longer when he heard someone coming down the stairwell at speed in a flurry of steps. Not wanting to have to deal with the looks he was getting from all his fellow Gryphindor housemates he got up wanting to head down and avoid the drama of a confrontation or even just the looks almost everyone in the school seemed to be giving him. Of course, by the time he was standing up from his chair the footsteps had reached the common room.

What caught him by surprise was that it wasn't a hostile gaze that he found looking at the fire. Instead it was a set of mismatched blue and green eyes beneath a head of golden blond hair.

"Oh, good morning Aura."

He said not wanting to give a bad impression to someone he hadn't yet met. Aura stopped for a heartbeat at the stairs before walking over to him. She was shorter than him and he still had trouble believing she was a fifth year given she looked the size and age of a first or second year but the sorting hat had made its decision. Aura's mismatched eyes took him in in a second even as she was walking over to him.

"You're Harry Potter, right?"

She asked him. There was some question in her voice but It was more a statement than a question as if she was sure of the answer already and was just confirming it. Harry nodded his face carefully guarded. Harry didn't know anything about the school she had come from but he was willing to believe she had at the very least seen at least one Daily Prophet issue that had been accusing him of lies as a part of Fudge's smear campaign against him and Dumbledore. But her gaze was different from any gaze he'd seen so far in this admittedly very short year at Hogwarts. There wasn't suspicion or doubt, neither was there the concerned understanding looks on the faces of his friends. Instead there was simply… he wasn't sure what was the word for her gaze and decided he'd try to come up with a good word for it later. Before he could say anything, she spoke again.

"I'm heading down to breakfast want to walk down with me?"

Harry raised a brow in surprise at the offer but after a glance back at the stairwells leading to the dorms where the rest of his fellow Gryffindors still slept he looked back to her and nodded.

"Sure. Know your way down yet?"

Surprisingly Aura actually nodded though Harry wasn't sure if it was because she actually knew the way or was just trying to give a good impression though something about the girl's manner with him made him feel that she didn't really care if he thought well of her or not, oh she was polite but she just didn't seem to care one way or another. And that's when he realized what her gaze reminded him of as he realized what the gaze was, and why it was so unfamiliar to him. She was looking at him like an ordinary person, not The Boy Who Lived or The Boy Who Lies. It was like all the stories and even legends didn't mean anything to her at all. Harry wasn't sure how to react given how he could count the number of wizards he'd met in his life that reacted this way on one hand, but he was happy to have it. He had to admit that he had always found it a little uncomfortable to be praised for something that was most likely an accident, or his own personal theory, entirely the work of his mother and/or father since both were brilliant in their own right.

So together they walked out of the common room leaving the Fat Lady behind and heading down. After the first three intersections in which Harry followed silently while Aura led the way on the exact same path she'd been led on the day before he had to admit she probably did already know the way. Still she didn't know the whole school yet given that he was able to show her one of the school's many shortcut secret passages that saved them a minute on the way down to the Great Hall. Together they got down to the Great Hall and walked in to see almost no one was there already. Of course, no one being there and almost no one there were two different things. Harry could see that Professor Snape of all people was already sitting up at the staff table busy reading the Daily Prophet with what looked like it might have been coffee in a cup beside him. Like he had known food wasn't yet being served but the half dozen students already down in the hall didn't mind.

There was one person at the Ravenclaw table, three at the Hufflepuff and two sitting at the Slytherin with no one yet from Gryffindor present but it was still very early in the day. Harry did notice though that only one of the people sitting at the Slytherin table was actually from Slytherin while the other wore the yellow and black tie and house emblem of Hufflepuff. Of course, given who they were made more sense given it was the silver and black haired girls who had transferred from Nazarick. Harry's mind was drawing a blank on their names but as Aura headed not for the Gryffindor table but instead the Slytherin one Harry couldn't help but freeze for a second instead of automatically following her to the table for the house of snakes. Aura turned on her heel not even two steps after he stopped following her.

"What's wrong. Come on and join me."

Harry glanced from Aura, to the Gryffindor table, to the Slytherin table with its two students already at it and then back to Aura. There was no rule against mingling tables as long as it wasn't a feast but the lions had never mingled with the snakes even once in all the years Harry could remember. But then they were all new to the school and only one of them was a snake so did it even count? Giving a sort of half shrug of his shoulders and shake of his head more to himself than anyone else he stepped forward following her once more to the Slytherin table where he seated himself next to Aura and looked at the other transfer students. Both of the other girls was very pretty. Granted Harry's heart was currently beating with a crush for Cho Chang but he couldn't deny that both of the girls, even the younger silver haired one had beauty that plenty of the boys in the school, and more than a few of the girls, would be drooling, or jealous over, depending on what one's orientation was. Both of the others gave him a single glance in unison but said nothing though they both did greet Aura first the silver haired girl that he was still trying to remember the name of and then the black one.

"Good morning Aura. Sleep well?"

"Good morning Aura."

The words were the same words he himself had said a million times to his own friends and it seemed these three were indeed friends or at least familiar and possibly close acquaintances but Harry could swear there was something off about the words, at least from the black haired one as if she wasn't used to saying good morning to Aura. His gaze flicked from Aura to the black haired woman and back but Aura didn't seem to notice anything was amiss.

"Morning Shalltear. Morning Nabarell."

Shalltear and Nabarell that was it. He couldn't remember Nabarell's last name but Shalltear's had something to do with the word blood if he remembered it right. He continued to sit there silently as Shalltear looked around once then looked to Aura.

"When is Mare going to get down here?"

Aura did a double blink then looked around as if she was only just noticing her twin wasn't present before she did a sort of growl and left at a run out of the Hall. Harry was about to shout after that her sister Mare was in Ravenclaw House and she wouldn't be able to get in but before he could get more than a shout to try and get Aura's attention the girl was already gone and in that moment Harry had to admit that man could Aura run and boy was she fast. Now sitting alone with the other two transfer students who so far still hadn't said a thing to him he looked around wondering if he should just go to the Gryffindor table when a new group of students came in. Harry could feel his blood draining from his face as he paled at seeing it was Malfoy along with Crabbe, Goyle, and several other Slytherin students. Malfoy spotted him immediately and he could see the others spotted him sitting at their house's table moments later. He started getting up quickly not need the fight that was about to erupt when Shalltear spoke to him for the first time as he was midway through lifting his leg over the bench to stand and leave.

"Sit Harry Potter."

She said and Harry froze his head and gaze turning looking to Shalltear who had just spoken to him. Her gaze slid from Malfoy's group to him and she spoke to him again a second time.

"I said sit back down. Aura will be back with Mare soon and you can wait for them to join us here."

Harry was frankly a bit uncertain about all of this. The fact that she knew who he was on sight wasn't a surprise, what was, was that like Aura she didn't seem to care about his fame or history. He was just Harry Potter to her and nothing more and nothing less. For some reason, maybe because he'd come down with Aura or maybe something else but clearly, he'd been given a pass with them and they didn't seem to care about the Hogwarts school houses at all. Still he knew he had a problem with Draco about to happen regardless of if he moved to the Gryffindor table or not some part of him was deciding it was better to just sit and stay where he at least had someone at his back for the coming confrontation.

The Slytherin's were all glaring murder at him as they approached though Draco was smiling a cruel smile as if he was doing something nasty to Harry over this. He stopped right beside where Harry was sitting and was just about to start saying something when Shalltear interrupted him.

"Go sit down Draco, you aren't invited to join me like Harry."

Everyone's head snapped to Shalltear and more than a few jaws, including Harry's, dropped at Shalltear's words. The silver haired girl who physically had the build of perhaps a third year physically wasn't even looking at him as she had just fired off a shot. The Slytherin's were openly gaping at the audacity of the fresh transfer student girl who was simply drinking from a cup of tea without a care in the world for Draco Malfoy or any of the other students at his back.

"Do you know who I am? My father…"

That was as far as he got before now the black-haired girl sitting across from Shalltear and next to Harry spoke.

"Didn't you hear her insect? Go away, you are unwanted here."

The silence was absolute like a bomb had gone off in all the great hall as every student at the other tables, and more had come in since Harry had come down, were now staring silently in shocked surprise at what was unfolding in front of their eyes as the two transfer students were openly insulting and dismissing Draco Malfoy and by extension, protecting Harry. Harry was just as shocked and still as the other two since he'd never seen anyone dress Draco, not even Hermione when she was in her most foul moods such as when she'd punched Draco in their third year. Draco normally would have responded with another of his trademark style 'My Father' comments but seemed for the first time absolutely frozen but what had just occurred. Harry just sat there as surprised as anyone but after a moment he couldn't resist smirking though he did turn his face away from Draco to hide it. The last thing he needed was to start a fight in the middle of the Great Hall. Draco missed his head turn and smirk but Pansy Parkinson standing right behind Draco and looking around him didn't. She'd been eyeing Shalltear, and particularly Nabarell jealously, clearly of the two girls's beauty that surpassed her own even if Shalltear was younger and Nabarell was clearly older both were leaps and bounds beyond the jealous Slytherin girl. But while she like the rest had been wearing an expression of shock at Shalltear's and Nabarell's words her jealously curiously kept her mind's thought processes intact enough that she was able to notice Harry smirk and then turn away.

"Something funny Potter?"

She half shrieked half demanded in question of him. That of course swiveled every head in the group of Slytherin's with of course Draco's included to focus on Harry who's smirk vanished in an instant at her focus and she was looking back at the group out of the corner of his eye. His head turned as he heard movement coming from the staff table and he looked just in time to see Snape walking their way with an annoyed expression on his face. Then immediately after his head turned back as he could swear he heard Draco taking in a breath to loose a scathing statement but everyone's head swiveled in unison swiveled to the doorway of the great hall when they heard a shout coming from the corridor beyond it.

"HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY HAVE STILL BEEN ASLEEP?! EVERYONE IS ALREADY DOWN EVEN POTTER IS UP WHAT WERE YOU STILL DOING IN BED? HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO WAKE YOU UP!"

Quite a few people in the hall had confused and or surprised expressions on their faces as they were collectively turned to the entrance of the great hall. There was silence for a few long seconds and just as people were starting to return to their original focus whatever it might have been either homework, or study, or a brewing fight at the Slytherin table, or in the case of the Hufflepuff table where sanity still reigned, digging into the first plates of breakfast that had appeared. The same had occurred on the Slytherin table but only Shalltear was eating as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Everyone else, even Nabarell was watching the entrance. Of course just as the attention was restored another roared shout echoed into the great hall. This time a little louder since the person shouting, and now Harry was fairly certain that it was Aura's voice doing the shouting, continued in reply to whoever or whatever she was talking to.

"THAT IS NO EXCUSE! ALL YOU EVER DO IS READ AND SLEEP! HOW ARE YOU EVER SUPPOSED TO GET OUT AND MAKE FRIENDS?! AND IF I HADN'T WOKEN YOU UP YOU'D HAVE SLEPT THROUGH NOT ONLY BREAKFAST BUT ALSO YOUR CLASSES! AND THOSE ARE BOTH IMPORTANT OR DID YOU FORGET WHAT AINZ-SAMA AND DEMIURGE TOLD US BEFORE?!"

It was then finally that Aura came into view of the entrance of the great hall dragging her twin by the ear. All the students except for Shalltear and Nabarell winced at Mare's pained facial expression. The girl clearly was just woken up out of bed since her blue and silver Ravenclaw house tie wasn't properly tied and her clothes somehow managed to look rumpled. Aura of course was immaculate by comparison both with her tie and the house emblem on her black robes. Ignoring all the staring individuals, of which even Snape counted among the number Aura dragged Mare by the ear over to the Slytherin table where she forced Mare to take a seat and filled a plate of food and set it in front of him before somehow, and Harry with the eyes of a quidditch seeker still wasn't sure quite how she managed it, jumped over the table to the other side and took a seat opposite of Mare before filling in her own plate with food completely ignoring the teacher and crowd of Slytherin's still staring at her. Of course Mare now sitting on Harry's other side while on Harry's opposite side Nabarell was quietly eating from her own plate with perfect manners, looked around with wide eyes before leaning forward and stage whispering to Aura.

"Why is everyone staring at us?"

Everyone just gawked as Aura looked at all of them from Snape, who was now standing very close, to Harry sitting at the table, to Mare, to Draco and his whole crowd, and then leaning to the side slightly to look around Harry and Mare at all the students in the rest of the great hall who were gawking at her. Then she just sighed and shrugged.

"How should I know why everyone's being weird. Maybe its the food, this stuff isn't as good as Nazarick after all."

Harry looked to the side as he heard Shalltear sigh and look at her fellow transfer student.

"For someone's who normally so observant you really aren't paying attention to everyone around you right now are you?"

Needless to say that everything that was being said had in its own weird way defused the growing fight instincts in the Slytherin students. Of course Snape was another matter as the potions master was now glaring down at the group of non-Slytherin students.

"And why exactly are you all sitting here is the more important question. You should all be sitting with your houses."

"I invited them."

Shalltear's response was so fast no one had time for a single thought and though her words themselves were unhurried it was clear to Harry at least she'd just been waiting for Snape to speak. Strangely though Snape didn't immediately respond. Harry wasn't sure why but after a few long moments during which Snape glanced at each of the non Slytherin students sitting at his house's table, including a lingering glare at Harry, he finally looked back to Shalltear and after a long moment more.

"If you are going to invite them then you will also bear the burden if any of them cause issues so keep your guests in line and out of trouble."

With that everyone except for the Nazarick transfers just stared at the potion master's back as he turned and walked away heading back to the staff table. Granted Shalltear was a Slytherin herself but it was a well known fact how much Snape hated the students of the other houses and loved to dock points and assign detentions. Instead they were all effectively getting off with a warning. Harry could see Malfoy clearly wasn't sure how to react when he didn't have Snape at his back in his torment of Harry and the other non-Slytherin students. Finally with a lingering silent glare at Harry he moved to sit down at the far end of the Slytherin table and his crowd of groupies followed with. Harry was just returning to normalcy in his mind and contemplating eating when he heard a surprised gasp and looked to the entryway where he saw Hermoine and Ron staring at where he was sitting. He gave the Nazarick transfers all an apologetic look.

"My friends are here, I'd better go sit with them."

There was no protest or pleading just acceptance as Nabarell just gave a silent nod and Aura just nodded as well. Mare managed a mumbled goodbye in between the bites of the breakfast Aura was forcing her twin to eat.

"Ye-Yeah sure, see you later Harry."

And with that Harry stood up from the Slytherin table and walked over to meet Ron and Hermoine at the Gryffindor table where they both immediately began questioning him to explain everything that they had missed of the how and why he was sitting with the transfer students at the Slytherin table of all places. Of course Ron was the first to question him even as he had grabbed a plate full of breakfast sausage and was stuffing his face.

"Blimey Harry what in the bloody hell are you doing sitting over there?"

Hermoine was nodding and though she seemed to glare at Ron for his forward lack of tact in his question she was clearly in agreement.

"Harry what were you thinking? Malfoy's a prefect now and we'll help you where we can but you really shouldn't be giving him a reason to do anything."

Harry of course could only shrug since they hadn't seen anything that had happened before they arrived.

"Well I woke up really early and rather than go back to sleep and deal with everyone's looks when they woke up I headed down to the common room. A bit after I got down Aura came down and asked if I wanted to go to breakfast. I said yes and when we got here she went to sit with the other transfers. I think they're friends, at the least she knows who each is. Anyways she went to get Mare when Mare wasn't down yet and while she was gone Malfoy came down. Shalltear and Nabarell both told him off. Aura dragged Mare in by the ear. And when Snape came over Shalltear told him she'd invited all of us, which was me and the other transfers to sit with her and that was kinda the end of it. Malfoy left us alone after that. And then you came down not long after. And that's about it."

Ron's and Hermoine's faces were both disbelieving though beyond that the expressions were different, Hermoine looked uncertain while Ron looked thrilled and his eyes were wide with approval as he listened before looking over at the group.

"Really? Wicked!"

Hermoine's response of course was a little more reserved.

"They really shouldn't be causing problems on their first day..."

Harry gave a shrug as he took a plate of food to eat once he finished filling them in.

"Maybe Hermoine but Shalltear's Slytherin and you know how Snape is with them. What anyone else would have gotten a detention for or lost points he just let go."

Both Hermoine and Ron were looking over at Shalltear now in surprise that Snape would stay neutral in an issue regarding her and Malfoy, at the very least they would have figured he'd back Malfoy somewhat but instead Snape had just stayed on the sidelines entirely. Ron just shrugged figuring maybe it was because Shalltear was also in the house of snakes but Hermoine had a more thoughtful expression on her face as the trio settled in to eat dinner.

The morning meal progressed quickly now that the excitement earlier had passed. New arrivals were filled in by the dozen or so witnesses from each house so that it remained the topic of discussion. Harry realized that as he ate the transfer students were once again keeping the topic of conversation on them by their actions and keeping everyone from thinking too heavily on the issues of the Daily Prophet that came in. Even those that got them didn't talk about them as they normally might as Aura and Mare, as well as how Shalltear interacted with both Draco and Snape remained the dominant conversation. After he finished eating Harry read over his class schedule briefly checking his first class of the day and leaving the table headed off out of the hall on his way.


	6. Chapter 4: Umbridge

**A/N: Sorry for the lengthy delay. I've been plagued by writer's block and in the course of breaking free of it have recharted a fair amount of this story. Specifically that other Nazarick NPC's will be making appearances in Hogwarts over the course of the school year. Again sorry to everyone for the delay. Also I'm changing my once a week promise to once every two or so weeks since that's clearly a more realistic time window.**

 **PrometheusTheXelNaga: S.P.E.W. may make an appearance over the course of this year from the NPC's but don't expect it to be Hermoine's original views on the subject.**

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Harry wasn't fully out of the Great Hall when Professor McGonagall caught up to him and passed him his schedule for classes. Muttering a quick thanks to his head of house he moved off to the side so that he would not be in anyone's way as he studied his schedule and worked on committing it to memory. Luckily or unluckily depending on how you looked at it his first class of the school year was History of Magic. Professor Binns proved to be just as monotonous as he had in previous years and ten minutes into the very first class half of the Gryffindor fifth years were in the process of falling asleep while their ghost teacher continued to drone on about the events of the Giant Wars. Mercifully it was only a single period and the students of the house of lions were freed from their confinement to head onto their next classes. It was as Harry was packing up his bags that he noticed that Aura who had been sitting two desks ahead of him the whole time had somehow managed to stay fully awake and not only that the blond girl had taken what looked like a full page of notes. Harry wasn't sure what to make of that given how few students, or as it was better understood, Hermione alone, managed to resist the sleep inducing drone of their ghost professor.

Still regardless of what had happened during and right before breakfast neither Aura nor Harry were friends, they were barely acquaintances for that matter though they were both members of the house of lions. As Harry along with Ron and Hermione left the class room Aura didn't join them instead walking along farther behind as the group of fifth year students left the classroom. It was around the time that they were crossing the castle's courtyard in the process of making their way from the History of Magic class to the Potions class being held in the dungeons as always that the group was ambushed.

"Hello, Harry."

The trio stopped, turned and looked to see Cho Chang standing there. Hermione took one look at her standing there looking at Harry before promptly moving on dragging Ron with her with a firm grip on his arm. Harry meanwhile was standing there in the center of the courtyard looking at Cho. The Ravenclaw was standing alone which Harry couldn't ever remember happening. Not once in his memory had she ever walked anywhere alone. And he was rather aware of that given how the previous year he'd tried asking her to be his date to the Yule Ball and had his confidence thwarted many times by the crowd of girls that were perpetually around the Ravenclaw girl.

"Hi, Cho."

Cho gave him a sort of timid smile, or at least he thought it looked timid but then he couldn't really think of his fellow seeker as being timid not given how physical she proved herself on the Quidditch pitch when she was chasing a snitch, and with it, victory.

"I see you got that stuff off, then?"

Harry firmly resisted the urge to grin in embarrassment at the memory of when they'd been on the train and she'd looked in on him and the others right after he'd been coated by an explosion of Stinksap.

"Yeah that stuff's gone. So did you have a good summer?"

He was immediately berating himself in hindsight as he realized that she had to have spent most of the summer dealing with the aftermath of Cedric's death. He didn't even know if she believed his claims that Voldemort was the one responsible for Cedric's death. For all he knew she could have decided Harry was the one responsible and who could blame her after all. Harry watched her expression as they stood there in silence and he unconsciously pulled his robes closer around him given how chilly the misty drizzle of rain was making everything. Eventually though Cho who was clearly lost in her own world gave a sort of sad smile.

"It was okay I guess. Cedric's death changed everything of course but I got through it."

Harry nodded in silent understanding knowing just exactly how right her words were. She gave a weak sort of smile at the nod.

"Anyways thanks for talking to me."

Harry gave her a firm nod at that.

"Anytime Cho. If you ever need to talk I'm here. And if Ced's death starts weighing you down we can compare nightmares."

He instantly wished he hadn't mentioned his nightmares but he'd wanted her to not know she was the only one dealing with death. Cho though wasn't looking at him strangely, or actually was but it was a surprised strange look.

"You have nightmares about him?"

Her words were quiet clearly out of surprise but strangely not horror or disgust. Clearly she hadn't expected even the thought let alone the words that Cedric's death was affecting Harry just as much as it did her. Finally after a long moment she gave a short but firm nod as if in understanding.

"If he was killed like you said last year. Then I guess that makes sense."

And with that she turned and quickly headed off leaving Harry alone in the center of the courtyard mentally beating himself up for ever having mentioned the dreams turn nightmares he had without fail every night. It was only the sound of the classes bell that jolted Harry from his stillness and he turned quickly hurrying on his way down into the dungeons. Luckily Harry was able to make it in time and he joined the queue of students lined up outside the potions classroom joining Hermione and Ron. Ron seemed about to say something but Hermione firmly planted a foot into his instep which diverted Ron's attention from Harry to Hermione as he hopped on one foot in pain. As his two best friends argue Ron seemed like he was about ready to explode when suddenly there was a short blond blur moving to the side that brushed into Ron knocking him over onto the floor triggering a round of laughter from the Slytherin fifth year students all at the front of the line who laughed at Ron's misfortune with typical Slytherin grace.

Ron was just climbing to his feat and looking at the short Aura who was standing in the middle of the line next to the silver haired girl who marked the start of the Slytherin part of the line. Ron whirled on Aura grabbing her shoulder and turning her and causing her to jostle the silver haired girl as well and Harry could swear that Hermione looked like she wanted to mentally slap herself in frustration of Ron's tact or lack thereof.

"Oi. Watch where you're going shorty!"

Harry knew Ron well enough that as obtuse as he normally was regarding most social aspects he generally wasn't a cruel person. Just sometimes quick to anger over slights. Aura's mismatched green and blue eyes looked up at Ron while behind her the eyes of the silver haired girl along with some of the Slytherins that were still paying attention to Ron were watching him. Aura for her part didn't look like she was about to apologize and it came as no surprise.

"You were the one that hopped out you should have looked where you were going!"

Ron looked about to retaliate when the door to the potions classroom opened with a bang and everyone's eyes turned to the front where the previous class of potions students were filing out. Once the last of the seventh year potion students passed each other, and Aura waved at her twin as Mare was leaving. Then all the students then quickly filed in and took their seats. Harry could have sworn that right as he walked in Snape, who wasn't looking at the students filing in but instead down the corridor at the ones who had just left, had a very weird expression on his face for the briefest of moments before it was replaced with his usual perpetual scowl.

The door to the classroom closed after the last of the Gryffindors entered and instantly the class settled into quiet attentiveness that had long been trained in them when it came to this class and particularly this teacher. Harry listened along with all the others as Snape laid out how critical this year would be with the O.W.L. exams they would all be taking at the end of the school year and could well determine what they would be pursuing in the form of careers. Once his little lecture on the importance of the coming was ended he revealed the potion they would be learning for the day with the instructions already written on a blackboard at the front of the class.

"You all have until the end of the class to make an acceptable attempt at the Draught of Peace. The instructions are on the blackboard, the ingredients are in the store cupboard. Begin."

He flicked his wand at the mentioned cupboard and it opened for the students to take what they needed. Harry found the following half an hour to be quite stressful as Snape moved among them and each of them were making their own individual potions for the day. Though it turned out luck was with him as on two separate occasions Aura, who he was sharing a workstation with, caught his hand right as he was about to skip over a step by accident. In the end Hermione had a potion that Snape could clearly find nothing wrong to criticize with, and strangely enough so did Aura who Harry noticed cut up ingredients more perfectly than any he had ever seen before and seemed to have no trouble following instructions for the potion. His own potion was thankfully in the passable range though it wasn't at the same level as the two girls. Others such as Ron and Neville were both having trouble but they weren't the only ones as Goyle's potion ended up setting his robes on fire for a brief period before Malfoy had time to use an Augmenti spell to douse the flames on his gorilla like minion. Class ended when they all produced a sample of their potion for Snape to grade and he handed out the homework for the next class in the form of an essay on Moonstone.

Class had been no better or worse than previous years though inwardly Harry had the feeling that if Aura hadn't held him back from accidently skipping steps in the instructions it could have been far worse. And so Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed off to the Great Hall to eat lunch and were accompanied by Aura. Hermione couldn't resist in asking the blond girl how she did so well since it was one of the few times in memory that anyone had done as well as Hermoine.

"How'd you do so well on that potion? You must be a prodigy at potions if Snape didn't have anything to criticize you over."

Ron and Harry both unused to having someone do as well as Hermione were both listening in as well but were a little surprised by Aura's answer.

"Not really. Potions are just memorization. Dem... Professor Demiurge made sure we knew our stuff before we came."

Hermione was a little surprised since while there was indeed memorization involved with a potion like the one they'd just been working on the timing of the ingrediants and steps were so specific it was shocking she'd done so well.

"Wait so you've done that potion before?"

Hermione had to ask as she'd worked out from Aura's words that her teacher, a Professor Demiurge had seen to it that she and the other transfers had learned the potion. Aura gave a nod in response confirming that she had indeed made the potion before.

"Oh yeah. He wouldn't let us come here until we had everything we'd be handling memorized and mastered so that we wouldn't have any issues in our classes."

This caught a look of surprise from the others as no one not even Hermione went into a school year knowing all the assignments by heart.

"But you only got sorted when you got here. How could you know in advance..."

Hermione's eyes widened after a moment of stunned silence to the point she even stopped walking now standing in the middle of the courtyard where before Harry and Cho had stood talking her wide eyes fixed on Aura.

"You don't mean that he taught you every single potion do you?!"

Aura just gave a nod.

"Yeah It's just memorization after all. Do something enough times and it sticks. We were all sent here for a reason. None of us would bring disgrace to Nazarick's name."

Hermione was stunned along with Harry as they considered the implications and even Ron was staring open mouthed having realized what the two girls were talking about. The trio were left standing there as the darkening grey skies continued to drizzle rain down on them as they stood stock still in the open courtyard staring at Aura's retreating form. It took them a few more moments of being wet to snap out of it and Ron spoke for the group as they started off.

"She can't have been serious about memorizing all the potions. That'd be bloody mental. Who does that?"

They caught up to her again in the Great Hall where the students were coming in, in groups of twos and threes for their midday meal. Harry could see that once again the Nazarick Transfers were sitting at the table of snakes although he did notice Mare give him a timid wave as he entered the Great Hall. This caused more than a few eyes to turn to Harry for reasons he didn't understand but he did notice that they were without exception all seventh year students just like Mare. He gave the blond a wave back but moved to join Hermione and Ron at the Gryffindor table like always. He was taking a plate of food when the trio were joined by Fred and George.

"Hello little brother."

"Hello Harry, Hermione."

"Notice anything odd about our new fellow students?"

"Or should we say have you noticed anything that is normal instead?"

As the twins talked back and forth the golden trio looked over across the way at the table of the house of snakes where the four transfer students were still sitting. Ron went first of course speaking off first.

"Does anyone besides me find it a bit mental that someone would make them learn every potion for the year?"

Hermione sighed and corrected Ron to the admittedly reasonable flaw in his thoughts from what he had absorbed of their conversation with Aura.

"She wasn't saying that she was taught every potion for this year. She meant she was taught every potion from all seven years before she came."

Ron silently gaped at Hermione while Fred and George grinned like a pair of cheshire cats.

"Oh was that all?"

"Seems a bit tame doesn't it brother of mine?"

"It does indeed brother of mine. Do you think we should tell them? Or let them find out from the others who were there."

"It would be funny to see them not believe the truth."

"But then seeing how hard to believe that truth is does that seem fair."

Harry of course was focused on the twins and interrupted them before they could continue talking in their weird ways.

"Why what was so strange that you saw?"

George and Fred shared a look for the space of three seconds before leaning closer as if sharing a secret and their voices dropped in volume as well.

"We're sure that the news will be all over the castle by night anyways."

"And if it hasn't then it will be by tomorrow at breakfast without a doubt."

"But we just had a charms class with Flitwick and saw that golden haired boy Mare."

Ron frowned on cue that his older brothers were calling Mare a boy and both Hermione and Harry, accompanied of course by Ron all leaned in unison to the side to see around the two twins to look for a moment and Mare before leaning back in to listen to George and Fred.

"And we saw the strangest thing."

"Strangest things brother you say it as if there was only one thing peculiar we saw."

"Quite right brother. Strangest things. Well as we were saying Flitwick was starting class for all his N.E.W.T. students."

"And that blond boy over yonder behind us was with us."

"We had no more than taken out our wands and Flitwick was instructing us on a new spell since it was the start of the year."

"And Mare over there raises it perfectly and casts it."

"Without a single word on what the spell did, or how to cast it."

"All Ol' Flitwick managed to get out was the spell's name."

"Now you might think that wasn't nothing much."

"After all the boy could have just studied during the summer."

"But each and every time Flitwick named a spell."

"That little kid cast each of them perfectly. Not even with an incantation."

"End result being that dear Ravenclaw is up a hundred house points for it."

"And Flitwick held him back to question him on just how he knew all the spells in advance."

"We lingered a little before being told to go."

"And heard the mention of a Professor Demiurge."

"Now you three wouldn't happen to have heard something similar down in your potions class with old Snape himself now did you?"

By the end of this all three Gryffindor fifth years were experiencing a strong feeling of deja vu as they thought of how just like Aura seemed perfectly prepared for the classes that the blond boy sitting with the snakes seemed to be. Hermione fastest of thought mentioned an impossible thought.

"You don't think that this Professor Demiurge taught them every single class do you? What would be the point of even coming to Hogwarts if they already knew everything they were going to be taught?"

Ron and Harry were both deep in thought while the twins were both grinning like Cheshire cats once more at the revelation that at least half, and quite possibly all of the transfer students were in a school that they had no reason to be in.

"Anyways we're on our way. Classes to attend."

"And pranks to be planned. Keep an ear to the air and your heads down."

"This year is likely to be stranger than most."

The trio watched the twins get up and leave from the table and all three of them couldn't help but silently agree that the school year was likely to be stranger than most. Following lunch Ron and Harry made their way up to Professor Trelawney's classroom at the top of the North tower while Hermione went on her way to her Ancient Runes class. Harry was a little surprised to find Aura also in the divination class along with him and his best mate. But then this was the fifth year elective period so he supposed it made sense although he would be surprised more later on when he found she also had Care of Magical Creatures same as him. Unfortunately Divination was not a class he excelled in. And Twellany's nature did not help as no more had class started than she immediately was in her typical behavior with her her usual misty dreamy voice.

"Welcome back students. As you all are aware I have been following your fortunes and I knew you would all return safely to me once more. To our one new arrival who has come to us from both afar and nearby welcome. Here this year we will be focus on divining the future through analyzing your dreams. On each of your tables you will notice a copy of _The Dream Oracle._ Dreams are very important to discerning the future and regardless of the fact that each individual who is blessed with an opened inner eye has no need for petty things such as certificates and and examinations let alone grades. Our Headmaster does like your progress recorded. So each of you will be required to sit an examination for your O.W.L. at the end of the year and he would like you prepared for the more unimportant facts and stats of this field for when you sit. Now please each of you pair up with a book and follow the instructions in the book using your most recent dreams. Carry on."

Harry quickly found himself becoming bored by the class and pondered why for the eight hundred and fifty-third time, he had been keeping careful track of the number over the years, that he had not followed Hermione out when she had quit the class in their third year. The boys quickly settled into their age old habit of passing the class. Making up every increasingly ridiculous dreams involving a horrific and untimely death. Luckily the class was not a double period and soon the Gryffindor students were released from the classroom and were on their way to a class that in previous years had been one of Harry's favorites though now as he made his way into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom he did so with more than a touch of hesitance knowing that Minister Fudge's lackey, Umbridge, was teaching the class. And looking at the blackboard as he took a seat he couldn't help but feel a chill settle over him as he looked over the head of Aura in front of him at the blackboard where it read.

 _Defense against the Dark Arts  
A Return to Basic Principles_

"Well good afternoon."

Umbridge's voice greeted them from where she stood at the front of the class. Once again wearing that fluffy pink cardigan over her robes. A few of the class mumbled a reply but she seemed rather surprisingly put out by the enthusiastic response.

"Tut, tut. That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' One more time, please. Good afternoon class!"

The class was surprised but disciplined enough to respond as she wanted at which Harry, Ron and Hermione, as well as Aura ahead of him all replied back along with the rest of their students with a reply of. And at the reply Umbridge smiled sweetly

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge."

"There now. That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."

The class and Harry alike exchanged gloomy looks. Harry had never had a lesson where the words 'wands away' had been followed by any lesson that he had considered memorable no matter how much some classes might have had information worth remembering at the uttering of those words.

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it? The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your O.W.L. year. You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centered, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."

She then tapped the blackboard at the front with her wand once and the chalk message that had been on the board faded and was replaced by:

 _Course aims:_

 _1\. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic.  
2\. Learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used.  
3\. Placing the ruse of defensive magic in a context for practical use._

Harry along with the rest of the class copied down the aims of the course onto their parchment with their quils while Umbridge looked on with a smile plastered onto her face. Before finally looking up when he had finished the same as all the other students in the class. When most of the students were watching her Umbridge spoke again continuing.

"Has everybody got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory_?"

Umbridge got the same half hearted response that she had gotten when greating the class a minute before which caused her smile to tighten slightly.

"I think we'll try that again. When I ask you a question, I would like you to reply 'Yes, Professor Umbridge," or 'No, Professor Umbridge.' So, has everyone got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory_?"

The class's response was much stronger this time and Umbridge's smile returned to full.

"Good. I should like you to turn to page five and read chapter one, 'Basics for Beginners.' There will be no need to talk."

Umbridge left the blackboard and moved to her desk where she took a seat her eyes sharply watching the class that began to read. Harry opened his book obediantly and began to read but found the material to be incredibly dull and was not alone as Ron and others all were having difficulty with the material. It was several minutes in that he noticed Hermoine at his side hadn't opened her book and was sitting silently with her hand raised in the air and very clearly staring at Umbridge. Umbridge though didn't call on Hermoine though it was impossible for her to have missed the raised hand given how she was watching the class with the attention of a raptor. Her own personal resemblance to a toad aside her gaze was sharp and there was no way she could have so clearly missed Hermoine's raised hand. It wasn't more than a few minutes more that more than half the class were no longer reading their books either but were silently looking back and forth slowly between Hermoine and Umbridge wondering when the teacher would finally address the growing situation. Umbridge was clearly counting the number of students paying attention as when half the class had stopped reading she stood clearing her throat.

"Hem, Hem, Yes Ms. Granger? Do you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?"

Umbridge was clearly pretending she had only just noticed Hermoine though that couldn't possibly have been true the way her gaze had been lingering on her for more than a minute now. Hermoine lowered her hand and shook her head.

"Not about the chapter, no."

Umbridge smiled sweetly though the smile didn't reach her eyes as she studied Hermione.

"Well we are reading just now. If you have other queries we can discuss them at the end of class."

Before Umbridge could direct the rest of the class to continue however Hermione continued.

"I have a question about the aims of this course."

Umbridge was silent for a moment as she studied Hermione before finally speaking.

"Well Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully."

Hermoine though wasn't so quickly dismissed as she replied quite bluntly.

"Well I don't. There's nothing written up there about using defensive spells."

Most of the students turned their heads to review the three course aims on the blackboard while Umbridge looked like she was choosing her words on how to reply to Hermione quite carefully.

"Using defensive spells? Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to use a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"

Ron finally decided to weigh in at that point with his own two knuts not bothering to even put up his hand but rather simply blurting out the protest of:

"We're not going to use magic?"

Umbridge bestowed a glare for the first time on Ron as he so very clearly broke the social rules she was imposing on the class.

"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr. Weasley."

Harry and Hermoine both raised their hands together at that while Ron quieted back down for the moment. Harry could see Umbridge's gaze on him but she turned to Hermione.

"Yes, Miss Granger? You wanted to ask something else?"

Hermoine lowere her hand with a fierce nod.

"Yes. Surely the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?"

Umbridge immediately smiled a little wider as she replied in a falsely sweet voice.

"Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger? If not then I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the 'whole point' of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way..."

Harry had enough at that point and couldn't resist the urge to blurt out.

"What use is that? If we're going to be attacked it won't be in a..."

Umbridge's smile quickly vanished as he interrupted her and she didn't let him finish as she forcefully interrupted him with the same falsely sweet voice as she had used with Hermione.

"Hand Mr. Potter."

Harry quickly thrust his fist into the air but Umbridge was turning away not letting him dictate the flow of the conversation in her class instead turning to one of Harry's fellow Gryffindors.

"Mr. Thomas, what is your question?"

Dean quickly lowered his hand and spoke.

"Well, its's like Harry said, isn't it?" said Dean. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk-free..."

Umbridge sensing another course of conversation she did not want quickly squashed him talking over him.

"I repeat, do you expect to be attacked during my classes?"

Dean shook his head.

"I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this school."

And now everyone was convinced how she was lying given everyone noticed how false the smile now on her face was.

"But you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed, not to mention extremely dangerous half-breeds."

She laughed a cruel evil laugh even as Dean tried to defend Professor Lupin who had taught them in their third year despite the fact that the man had been a werewolf as there was no doubt at all in the minds of the lions sitting at their desks just who exactly Umbridge was talking about.

"If you mean Professor Lupin he was the best we ever..."

Umbridge's smile by this point was becoming very forced and it was at this point that directly in front of him Aura who's hand had been down for the entirety of the class finally rose to join the forest of raised hands in the air.

"HAND! Mr. Thomas! As I was saying, you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group, and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing you will meet a Dark attack every day. Yes Mr. Fiora."

Clearly Umbridge like many others had somehow mistaken Aura for a boy though given how much younger and how androgynous appeared it was perhaps understandable, that or perhaps the professor's clearly irritated mood was interfering from a mind that had clearly memorized the names of all the students in her classes given how she had clearly known the names of each student she had addressed without needing to look at a seating chart or roster as she did so.

"Thank you Professor Umbridge."

Aura said as she lowered her hand not bothering for some reason to correct the professor's incorrect assumption about her gender.

"I would just like to point out that magical creatures and the half-breeds you have mentioned are quite a threat to ordinary humans."

At this most of the class was quite surprised and in shock that a student was apparently taking the side of the rather annoyingly frustrating teacher.

"Many magical creatures and races have natural immunity to weaker spells and possess spell like abilities of their own and this does not even account for if they learn magic themselves. When a human, regardless of magic use or not is pitted against a magical creature the outcome often ends in the favor of the creature or magical race. Therefore would not this class be better spent teaching how to defend against such since this is the very point of a this class as I understand it? Or would it be better that human magic users remain defenseless against non human magic users?"

The class was silent and every eye turned from Aura to Umbridge and her smile looked incredibly forced while her eyes were narrowed looking closely Harry could see that Umbridge's lips at the corner of her mouth were starting to twitch and everyone sat silent. Harry was intently watching Umbridge though he couldn't help but notice that Mare's green and blue eyes were clearly locked onto the ministry appointed professor and engaged in a staring match. Finally after the better part of a minute Umbridge looked over the rest of the class staring at her and donning her falsely sweet smile once more and letting the anger fade from her voice addressed them all.

"Mr. Fiora has raised excellent points regarding the danger represented by non humans and half breeds. You would all do well to listen to her and with that we will continue reading for the rest of the period. I will not be answering any more questions for the rest of the class." With that Umbridge whirled about and moved back to her desk where she produced a piece of parchment and a quill and began writing something leaving the rest of the class wondering just what had happened as all eyes were on Aura who had turned her attention back to her book and was reading in silence with the faintest of smiles on her face.


End file.
